Arriel Williams plans to open 7’s Groceries on Nov. 1 at the location formerly occupied by Save-A-Lot on Clear Lake Avenue, and he says a $100,000 business grant from the city of Springfield will be “extremely important” to his future success. “It’s helping me out a lot,” Williams, 50, a Springfield resident and native, said […]
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APL seeking new headquarters
Springfield’s Animal Protective League hopes to erect temporary buildings at the site of its headquarters near the Illinois State Fairgrounds or move into a temporary location in the next three to six months after a June 10 tornado caused an estimated $1.2 million in damages. “We just want everyone to know how grateful we are […]
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East-side community garden adjusts to federal funding delays
A community garden on the east side of Springfield continues to deal with the fallout of delays to federal funding that the nonprofit had counted on to expand its capacity. Democrat Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) was on hand at Motherland Community Project on Tuesday afternoon to speak with the organization’s founder, Yves Doumen, during the […]
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Illinois state fairs attracted over 1 million visitors for second year in a row
Illinois’ two state fairs drew over 1 million combined visitors for the second year in a row, the governor’s office announced Tuesday. About 714,000 visitors attended the Springfield fair, while a record 287,000 visited the one in Du Quoin. Springfield’s attendance was the third-highest in its history but set a new single-day attendance record of […]
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Epitaph and observances: The Chicago Hotel Fire
The Illinois School for the Deaf Alumni Association dedicated a memorial in Jacksonville Sept. 26 honoring students who endured the Conrad Hilton Hotel fire on Jan. 25, 1970, a tragedy long remembered among the Deaf communities as the Chicago Hotel Fire. The large memorial rock lists all attendees alphabetically, including survivors and those hospitalized, with […]
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Manufacturing group highlights new UIS degree to support growth in automation
A manufacturing lobbying group made a stop in Springfield to highlight the launch of a new major at University of Illinois Springfield related to the growth in automation. The visit was part of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s “Makers on the Move” bus tour that seeks to celebrate October as Manufacturing Month and the growth of […]
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Sheriff’s office releases video of officer striking pedestrian with his vehicle
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department released dashcam footage Friday evening of a lieutenant striking a pedestrian with his vehicle as the man crossed the street in downtown Springfield. The man was walking in the crosswalk heading northbound on Ninth Street at the Monroe Street intersection on Sept. 24 when he was struck by an off-duty Sangamon […]
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Report: New data centers could create more than 120K Illinois jobs, though mostly temporary
A new study predicts data centers expected to be built in Illinois over the next decade would create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in new property tax revenue. But many are skeptical the touted benefits will live up to their promises or outweigh the environmental and energy burdens. The study by the Illinois […]
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183rd Wing seeks new mission
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth says she is prepared to hold up legislation and slow the Senate appropriations process to pressure the U.S. Air Force into delaying the elimination of 192 positions at Springfield’s 183rd Wing. Duckworth also contends partisan politics may be behind the decision, saying the Air Force appears to be favoring units in […]
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Send in the clowns
Eleven months of the year, Robert Quance lives a 9-to-5 life working behind the camera as a news assignment editor for WICS NewsChannel 20 in Springfield. Every October, though, Quance takes all his unused sick and personal time, dons grease paint, puts on a bulbous red nose and runs away to join the circus. Quance, […]
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“Housing is a human right”
Teshia Spencer’s 14-year-old daughter was experiencing shortness of breath. Spencer assumed allergies were the cause until a doctor diagnosed her daughter with asthma. The trigger, according to Spencer, was months of mold exposure in a house they rented in Springfield from January to July of this year. Spencer is one of several tenants who told […]
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“We cannot build fast enough”
Memories of his childhood in foster care homes on Springfield’s east side and his more recent behind-the-scenes struggles on the Springfield City Council to improve the substandard living conditions faced by many constituents brought Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory to tears. “For me, this is a special time, man,” Gregory, his voice choked with emotion, […]
